Sunday, February 21

20. In English it is idiomatic usage to credit someone with having done something.- OG10-111

21. the correct idiom is better served by x than by y

22. after when is unidiomatic: one word or the other can be used to establish temporal sequence, but not both together. OG10 -124

23. you can't 'demand X to do Y'. – UNIDIOMATIC (subjunctive) {Demand that x do y}

24. it's wrong to say 'preferred X over Y'. the correct idiom is 'prefer X to Y'. take note.

25. the idiom to mistake x for y.

26. Considered as is unidiomatic but Regard as is idiomatic

27. GREATER THAN VS MORE THAN in formal written english, if you are talking about an increase in a single statistic, you use GREATER. if you are counting things, and NOT referring to 'the number' or 'the population' or any other single statistic, you use MORE the population of filipinos is greater than it was 10 years ago there are more filipinos than there were 10 years ago

28. the sentence form X is why is unidiomatic (X is the reason why would be idiomatic og10-177

29. 1) idiom : support from vs. support of support from : is used when you get support from something(someone)support of : is used to express that you support somethingex) I rallied to the support of my country.

6. the phrases on account of and because of are unidiomatic; because can independently introduce a complete subordinate clause

7. idiomatic expression worried about rather than worried over -- worried about is preferable when describing a condition rather than an action. – OG 10-42

8. none the less ... than in D and no less... as in E are unidiomatic; the correct form of expression, no less ... than, -- OG 10-30

9. the same to X as to Y. – OG 10-54 --- UNIDIOMATIC FORM - the same to X just as [it would] to

10. The phrase have a danger is unidiomatic – OG 10- 63

11. because an adverb such as twice cannot function as an object of the preposition by. – OG 10-72

12. seem is Followed by an infinitive (to indicate), - OG 10-95

13. : x forbids y to do z or x prohibits y from doing z

14. Use "a native of" when you're talking about where a person was born, for example: I am a native of Detroit.
Use "native to" when you're talking about a category, characteristic, or species, for example: Tigers are native to India.

15. Rather than vs Instead of
Rather than shows a judgment. One choice is preferred over the other. It is better somehow.
instead of merely expresses a replacement of one thing for another.
I would rather have ice cream than apple pie because I like ice cream better.
But if there weren't very much ice cream left, and I wanted to save some for tomorrow, I might have apple pie instead of ice cream tonight.

Thursday, February 18

For long i have been contemplating about my relation with few so called "Friends" and with "God". How come i mixed up the topic of friendship and god is a topic of contention.

I have seen my faith in god taking various shades and so has been my relationship with my friends.

As a kid, i was made to believe that god is a supreme power and looks para-normal. God would punish me if i committed a sin and would reward me for my good work. This thought didn't last long and i started believing that irrespective of our actions god loves us. He is magnanimous and forgiving. But once i started facing the real world and faced the real challengesi had to believe that we do get punishment sooner or later.
Slowly and steadily i started thinking of god as one who is similar to me. I still adhere to this thought pattern.

Now, i would slightly change the topic to friendship.A lot of time we we mistake our acquaintance or our peers for our friends. Its not hard to feel frustrated when these people don't live upto your expectations.

Most of you might have guessed that i am trying to vent out my anger for someone. I am not a kind of person who can go out and bash up people. I really cannot do that even if i want to { i have done that in the past but with time i have mellowed down}, so letting out the steam here on my blog.

I really get bogged down when my so called "friends" call me up only to seek some help. It is not that i don't want to help but i feel that this relation can't be friendship. These people would never call me to ask "how am i doing", or they won't hang out with me. I have enough friends to hang out with and it could be that my so called "Friends" might not find me interesting enough but they won't respond when i try to get in touch with them. Now, this is something that i don't like. If i am there for you my friend then you ought to respond when i need you.
So, what do i do..i call it quits. Its good to be a little selfish. As i am done with the post mortem of my failed friendships, i realize that my relation with "God" is going in the very same direction.

I pray to god but i am always asking for one thing or the other. I am a thankless fellow, as soon as i get what i want i hardly give a party to god. I am not responding to his calls.

This sucks!!! and No doubt as i am moving away from my so called "friends", god would have by now...moved away from me...

Many might argue that god is too magnanimous to behave like that. But for me, my god behaves in a similar manner as i do.

Today, when i look back. The life seems good. All the troubles that bogged me once seem trivial. I am glad that i am alive but i am sad that i never thanked god.

God..i love you...i do..i want to give you a hug and say thank for all that you have done for me. I will keep on bothering you with my silly thoughts but from now on i will try and meet you often..i will try to talk to you often...i will try not only to talk but also to listen to you.

Tuesday, February 16

What has happened to you mr. Wallace? Off late you are reading books, watching movies and are not bothered at all about MBA apps.

Well, i didn't apply this year and 2010 deadlines are far away. I am doing the basic ground work but just want to ensure that before i start the battle i am fresh. So, i am doing what i feel like doing. ;)

My Name is Khan -- MNIK

The Plot: The movie has a very weak plot, as is the case with most of Karan Johar films. The plot revolves around the repurcussions of 9/11 attack on US and how this attack affected the lives of common people. Director has focussed on a man named "Rizwan Khan" who suffers from Asperagus syndrome. Rizwan is played by Shahrukh and if for a moment i get unbiased i will say Shahrukh has done a decent job {3/5} though i find his acting monotonous. {If i get biased i would say like all other Shahrukh movies MNIK sucks {1/5} and i wanted to leave the hall after interval but after all i had paid for the ticket and i have all the time in the world.}

Rizwan is shown as a super talented person who knows everything about the universe. You name it and Rizwan has the answer but he doesn't know a shit about Al Qaeda. Anyways, why Shahrukh worked as a salesman when he could give any scientist or an engineer a run for his money was something that i could not understand.

And why in the hell hero always finds his dream girl always available is another thing that i could not understand. But this is peculiar to Karan Johar genre of movies.

I liked 2 songs "Tere Naina" and "tera sajda" apart fom these two songs music was below average.

Coming back to the plot, the hatred towards Muslims in after math of 9/11 attacks turned Rizwan's life upside down, his love {Played by Kajol -- who hardly had a meaty role} asks him to say something to President of USA. and our Hero sets out on a mission to follow mr. President {i didn't know that travel itenary of US president is out there on google.}.

After some struggle our hero becomes super-hero as he saves town of Georgia from a hurricane {wish we had more Rizwans and govt. wouldn't have to care about natural calamities}. Finally the US president wants to meet mr. Khan and amidst all the melodrama Rizwan khan meets the low cost duplicate of Mr. Obama.

Like all other Karan Johar movies the movie had a happy ending.

A lot of incidences were picked up from Forest Gump but overall the movie didn't have a gripping plot.

Acting: its an out and out Shahrukh Khan movie. Kajol , Vinay Pathak and others are wasted. SRK is ok and is not much different from his other films.

All in all if you are Shahrukh Khan fan then go for the movie else you might repent spending money on the ticket.

Saturday, February 6

I had written a post earlier that Chicago Booth is one of the best schools with one of the best faculty. But after my interaction with a guy i decided not to apply to Booth. Somehow, i stumbled upon 2 alums of Booth and my view completely changed.

I had imagined Booth students to be ultra-competitive and non co-operative. I would say never make an impression about a school basis your conversation with a single student. Explore many forums and then decide.

Here's an excerpt of my conversation with a super cool Booth alum:

Q: how are the students at GSB? are they ultra competitive or
collaborative? I would prefer a school with a strong inclination
towards team work {That's why Kellogg is my fav}.

before i answer your questions, please remember that this is just my opinion, and i very well might be wrong. and not everything i will say will work for you because i write from my perspective and our profiles (and timing of application) were very different. now to your questions.

i dont think gsb students are ultra competitive. i dont think we are overly friendly as well. the fact that we are more of a commuter school i.e. people travel from various parts of the city and not evryone lives in a close vicinity means that you can never get a experience which a school like darden or tuck might offer. but if you live in a popular neighborhood, there are enough people around to coordinate with, and have beer with. and although we arent necessarily always mushy about our teamwork, there is a lot of teamwork in the school. people collaborate for not just school work, but for competitions and a lot of businesses get started with a collaboration of students who had never met before school. i think that is testament enough that we like to work with other smart people. that doesnt mean that you will gel with everyone, simply because a big school like gsb attracts all kinds of personalities. but there are a lot of people whom you will like and enjoy being around. i found my classmates to be fun, smart, having a point of view, and relatively easy to work with and be around.

*QUES: Will Job switches go against me??* {I have 3 in 5 years}

i dont think 3 job switches is a big worry. you should explain why you made the switch in your career goals essay. it will help the adcom understand that your career moves are well thought after, and not just because you wanted more money (honestly there's nothing wrong in that, but i dont think it sells in a bschool essay).

*QUES: Does Booth promote entrepreneurial spirit? or can you suggest any
other b-school? Its really hard to explore b-schools sitting in India.
I am trying to explore websites and call students but till now I have
only been able to hear back from few students.

gsb is big on entrepreneurship these days, and i think that has been the case for quite some time. you should explore the course offerings, and what's going on in the polsky center. also get in touch with the co-chairs of the EVP club
(http://student.chicagobooth.edu/group/evc/index.htm) - i think it is one of the most popular clubs on campus, is high profile as well because some star professors are involved, and a lot of money is also being pushed into the group and students who want to start ventures. the new venture challenge is a big attraction on campus every year.

*QUES How would you describe your experience at Booth? Given a chance to
go back in time would you again choose Booth or will you prefer some
other college??

my experience was very nice and i think i will suggest gsb to many, although not everyone. the school has its own personality and you have to gel with that. and since i have not seen another school i cant really answer if i will go to a different school if i have to redo my experience. i believe gsb was fun, intellectually stimulating and energetic - all of which i wanted in a school. there are only 2 things which i would have liked to be different - a little less focus on finance and econ (and that is already happeneing with many new things coming up in other departments, but chicago still remains a finance&econ powerhouse, that is our strength and i wont want to change that necessarily). secondly, our alumni network in india isnt as high profile yet, but that's because chicago didnt focus on admitting indian students around 20 years back. this has progressively changed quite a bit, and i forsee our brand name in india to be better each year. overall, i think gsb is a great school, and depending on how you shape your experience there you can achieve anything - it's actually a lot up to the student.